Parasite glycoconjugates. Part 16: Synthesis of a disaccharide and phosphorylated di- and tri-saccharides from Leishmania lipophosphoglycan

A neutral disaccharide beta-D-Galp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Manp and phosphorylated di- and tri-saccharides beta-D-Galp-(1-->3)-H(2)PO(3)-6]-beta-D-Galp-OCH(2)](8)CHCH(2) and beta-D-Galp-(1-->3)-H(2)PO(3)-6]-beta-D-Galp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Manp, which are fragments of the phosphoglycan portion of the surface lipophosphoglycan from Leishmania donovani (the disaccharide) or Leishmania major (all three compounds), were prepared and used as TLC standards to help the identification and differentiation of the elongating and branching beta-D-galactosyl transferase activities in Leishmania. The phosphosaccharides were synthesised using the H-phosphonate method for phosphorylation.